“We’ll get him back,” Simon said firmly. “He’s just trying to scare you because I’m here.”

Heather hung up the phone for what felt like the hundredth time. She had been frantically calling and texting her husband for the last twenty minutes, with no answer. Now she was pacing the room with the phone in her hand, while Simon had decided to stick around to support her. “What if Gary does something crazy?” She was shaking.

“He won’t.” He placed a reassuring hand on her back. “You said it yourself, he isn’t a hothead. He’s probably just taken Finn on a fun trip or something.”

“Without consulting me?” Her lips formed a thin, angry line. “He has no right to do this. Gary never spends time with Finn.”

He frowned. “I remember you saying you were lucky to have a co-parent.”

“I was trying to save face.” She lowered her eyes. “I didn’t want to badmouth my son’s father. I know it’s another lie, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m sorry.”

Simon captured her chin in his hand. “Don’t apologize. You did what you thought was right. You’re trying to protect your son, and I respect that.”

“Thanks, Simon.” Her hand covered his and he sensed her fear and frustration. Heather was being terrorized by her bully of an ex yet, somehow, she was being strong for her son.

He marveled at her strength and swore to himself that he wouldn’t leave until Finn was safely back in her arms. Simon would not rest until Heather had peace of mind again. Even if he had to kick the crap out of Gary to do it.

The phone started ringing and she rushed to answer it. “Gary? Where the hell are you?” Heather pushed another button on the phone. “I’m warning you, you’re on speaker now,” she snapped.

“I don’t give a damn if that boyfriend of yours can hear me,” Gary screeched. “You’re gonna pay for deceiving me, Heather!”

Rage made Simon want to start yelling, but a warning glance from Heather made him pause. Yelling threats at Gary was probably just going to make things even worse. Right now Heather needed him to put his ego aside and help her get her son back. Finn’s safety and Heather’s happiness were the only things that mattered to Simon.

“How have I deceived you?” she demanded in an exasperated tone.

“You’re screwing your boss!” Gary bellowed. “What kind of mother are you? You just bring your boss home for sex, with our son in the house?”

“Gary, you and I had sex in the house while Finn was here,” she said. “I didn’t mean for things to move this quickly, but I promise you I’ve made sure that Finn has been separated from Simon. I’ve been as discreet as possible.”

“That’s not good enough,” Gary said coldly. “You can’t just have a parade of men in our house.”

“A parade?” Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve literally been with one man since the divorce. Meanwhile, before Tiffani, you had a new woman every week. And you sure didn’t hesitate to dump babysitting responsibilities on them. You let a lot of random women babysit our son while you ran off to do whatever you wanted. Now that you have Tiffani you don’t even see Finn at all.”

“Don’t try to justify your behavior to me,” Gary said. “You’re an unfit mother.”

Her eyes glistened with tears; seeing her in so much pain sent an indescribable rage through Simon. It felt like his blood was on fire, and all he wanted to do was make Gary pay for the pain he was causing her.

“Think whatever you want, Gary, but all I’ve ever tried to do is be a good mom.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Please just tell me that Finn is okay.”

“He’s fine,” Gary said. “I’ve got him and he’s safe. I’m trying to protect him, Heather. That’s what any good father would do. Maybe if you stop messing with the wrong kind of guys we can work something out.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, the hope in her voice unmistakable. “You’ll give Finn back?”

“Not until I know that it’s safe for him to be around you,” Gary muttered.

“But you know it’s against the judge’s order to take him,” she pointed out.

“Not if I’m protecting him,” Gary insisted. “Which is what I’m doing. Protecting my son from you.”

“Please just let me talk to him,” she said desperately. “He’s probably confused and scared. Give me a chance to talk to Finn.”

“No,” Gary said flatly. “We’ll talk about this later, after you’ve calmed down.”

Gary hung up abruptly, leaving Heather staring at the phone in disbelief, her face streaked with tears.

~~*~~

“No.” A small cry escaped her throat.

Simon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. It was like the strength was evaporating from her as she sagged against him in despair.

“We have to call the police,” he said gently. “If Gary has taken Finn illegally they’ll be able to do something about this.”

“Not the police,” she begged, her shoulders heaving. “The divorce has been so hard on Finn already. Involving the police is going to traumatize him. He’s just a kid. I don’t want to scare him or hurt him.”

He ran his hand through her hair, trying to soothe her. “I’m not going to leave until we get him back, Heather. Whatever you need, I’m here. You’re not alone.”

“Thank you.”

She felt so fragile in his arms, as if at any moment she might break into a million pieces. No parent should have to be bullied the way Gary was bullying her.

Sparks of rage coursed through him. Made his body coil with tension. If he could get his hands on Gary, he would make him pay for the pain he was causing Heather.

She pulled away from him and started brushing her tears away. “Gary isn’t doing this to protect our son. He’s trying to punish me for moving on.”

Gary’s jealousy was more than apparent. Simon understood being jealous over another man’s attention to Heather, but Gary’s behavior was completely insane. “I don’t think your ex has gotten over you,” Simon said darkly.

“He’s just trying to punish me for being with you,” she said. “I guess it’s okay for him to date whoever he wants, but he can’t stand to see me do the same.”

He tried not to listen to the part of his mind that started to hope. Started to hope that she thought of them as dating. As a couple. Because, as dangerous as that was, it was precisely what Simon wanted. There was no use denying it anymore. He wanted Heather. No matter how difficult pursuing a relationship with her was going to be, he was willing to go through the fire for her.

And right now, he had to protect her no matter the cost.

An idea occurred to him. “How about I get you a good family lawyer? Someone who could scare Gary into giving Finn back.”

“I had a lawyer during the divorce,” she said. “He wasn’t some fancy lawyer or anything, but maybe he could help.”

“No, I meant I know the best family lawyer in Washington state,” he said. “The guy never loses, and he works for the best firm in Seattle.”

“Oh, Simon, that’s very nice of you, but I couldn’t possibly afford someone like that,” she said. “I’ll go with the lawyer I’ve already got.”

“And leave it up to chance?” Simon frowned. “This is on me, Heather. You don’t have to pay a dime. I’ll take care of the expenses.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Who said anything about asking? I want to help you.”

She frowned. “But I can’t accept your money—”

“Why not? It’s not like I spend my money anyway.” His fingers curled around her shoulders and he stared deep into her eyes. Heather had her pride. That much had been obvious. From the lies she had told him in her first interview to refusing his help, she had a way of standing on her own two feet that he admired. She was independent. Wanted to do it all on her own. But no mother should have to face something like this on her own. Not even a mother as strong and brave as Heather.

She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. Let me at least pay you back.”

“No,” he said firmly. “If you want this lawyer’s help, you have to agree to let me pay. This isn’t a loan. I’m doing this to help, so I don’t want you to pay me back for any reason. You got that?”

Truth be told, he was going to be sending the lawyer no matter what she said. But sometimes it was best to let Heather think she had made a decision rather than try to dictate one to her. If she ever found out that he had every intention of asking his lawyer for help no matter what she said, she’d probably never forgive him, but right now he didn’t care. Couldn’t care. All that mattered was getting Finn back.

“Okay,” she finally relented. “Call the lawyer and I’ll give him the details.”

In less than five minutes Simon had the family lawyer on the phone, and Heather started talking to him. When Heather hung up she turned to face him.

“He says he’s going to call Gary,” she murmured. “I suspect he’s going to try to scare Gary into doing the right thing.”

Simon nodded. “He’s damn good at settling disputes and I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon.”

“I’m exhausted.” Her voice sounded distant, like she was a thousand miles away.

He reached for her and helped her sink down onto the sofa.

“This has got to be tough on you,” he said as he sat down beside her. “I’m here if you need anything at all. How about something to drink?”

“That would be nice,” she said softly. “Thank you, Simon.”

With Heather resting on the sofa he headed into the kitchen to start making some herbal tea. Coffee wasn’t a good idea at a time like this.

He brought a steaming mug into the living room, but Heather barely touched it. They spent the rest of the day waiting in tense silence, with Heather sitting motionless, holding on to his hand.

Finally the phone rang again, and she answered it before the first ring even finished. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Yes. That’s the right address. Thank you so much!”

“What’s going on?” he asked after she hung up.

She jumped to her feet. “The lawyer says that Gary has agreed to bring Finn back. But I can’t take Finn directly from him, so the family lawyer will be coming down here soon to wait until Gary arrives. Then, the lawyer will take Finn from Gary and hand him over to me.”

“That sounds like the kind of insane thing your ex-husband would cook up,” Simon muttered.

“It was probably his idea,” she said, taking her seat beside him. “But all I care about is getting Finn back.”

“Of course.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The rage that was boiling inside him was going to have to stay hidden. No point in making Heather feel a bunch of emotions that weren’t going to help her. Gary might have been a bastard, but it was clear that Finn was her priority. Whatever Gary believed, Simon knew that Heather was a damn good mom. He’d spent enough time with her over these past few weeks to know that Finn was lucky to have such an attentive mother.

As evening came, the lawyer showed up for the drop-off. They all headed outside to the front porch, with Simon placing his arm around Heather. Her body was shaking, and her face had a haunted expression on it. His heart squeezed in pained sympathy for her. Heather’s suffering was destroying him, and more than anything he wanted her nightmare to end.

A silver sedan pulled up and Gary stepped out of the driver’s seat. There was a scowl on his face but her ex trudged over to the backseat, opened the door, and pulled out his son. With Finn fast asleep in his arms, Gary headed over to them, silently handed Finn over to the lawyer, and made his way back to his car.

When the sedan pulled away, Heather exhaled loudly and gathered Finn in her arms. Finn was sleeping peacefully, and Heather kissed the top of his head tenderly.

“Thank you for everything,” she said to the lawyer. “I’m so grateful for all your help. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“My pleasure,” the lawyer said with a smile. “Don’t worry about anything right now. Just focus on being back with your son.”

“I’ll just go put Finn to bed then,” she informed them.

“No problem. I’ll be out here waiting,” Simon murmured.

Simon turned his focus back to the lawyer, and they hashed out some financial details. Once everything was settled, the lawyer headed out and Simon returned to crash on the sofa in the living room. As drained as he felt, he was grateful that Finn was safely back home. Relief washed over him. They were lucky things hadn’t turned out worse. To his mind, Gary seemed crazy and controlling enough to try to take Finn out of the state. Or worse, out of the country entirely.

He made a mental note to keep the lawyer on speed dial. Gary was bound to give Heather more trouble, and Simon refused to let the guy torment her. It didn’t matter if he had to pay a whole team of lawyers to protect her and her son from her lunatic ex. Especially since it looked like they were going to take a chance and actually date for real.

When she stepped back into the living room, his chest tightened at the sight of her beautifully familiar face. Simon could never ever get tired of looking at her. Every time he saw her she seemed more beautiful than the last time he saw her.

“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said. “I couldn’t have survived today without you.”

“I’m happy to help.” He stood up and crossed the room to take her hands in his. “But don’t focus on me right now. You look exhausted. I can stay if you want. But I can leave, too. Whichever will make things easier for you. Just say the word.”

“You should go home and get some rest, Simon. You’re probably burned out, too. I’m sorry for dragging you into my drama.” She started to head for the door and he fell in step beside her.

He shook his head. “You haven’t dragged me into anything. All I want to do is take care of you the way you deserve.”

“I know. And I appreciate that.” She flashed him a faltering smile. “We were supposed to have a talk about our future.”

He stopped at the door and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “That can wait. We’ll talk about it when you feel stronger.”

Heather opened the door for him and he stepped outside. “We should talk about it now, Simon.”

“Really?” He frowned. “After the long day you’ve had? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m sure,” she said, standing on the threshold. “We have to talk about us. Right now.”

“Okay.” Hope flared in his heart. If she was this eager to give them a chance, then he was more than ready to hear her out. They clearly couldn’t just work together. There was something more between them and he wanted to take the next step. Being with Heather was worth whatever came their way. Let the world think they were causing a scandal. Having Heather felt so right that it was worth the risk to him. “Where do things stand between us?”

“Nowhere,” she said before she slammed the door in his face.

THE END